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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once again criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Diwali outreach to the Hindu-American community, saying he grew up in an India that celebrated pluralism. “So, I have been critical of Mr Modi because the vision that I grew up with was of an India that was pluralistic, an India where everyone belonged, no matter their religion. And my critique has been of Mr Modi and the BJP political party for their vision of an India that only has room for certain kinds of Indians, and it’s part of a belief that pluralism is something to be celebrated, something to be strived for,” Mamdani said as he visited several Hindu temples in Queens. However, the mayoral candidate seemed to offer an olive branch to those whose views did not align with his on the prime minister, saying he will treat them the same, as this was one of the many lessons he learned “growing up in a pluralistic society”. “And I also know that I’m running to be the mayor of New York City—eight-and-a-half million people—many of whom may feel differently than me about Mr Modi, and that’s their right, and I will look to represent them all the same, because my responsibility to them as New Yorkers is to ensure that they are safe, to ensure they can afford this city,” he added. This is not the first time Mamdani has called out the prime minister. After his victory in the Democratic mayoral primary earlier this year, a resurfaced old video showed him training his guns at PM Modi over the 2002 Gujarat riots. Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York state assemblyman and self-declared socialist, remains the front-runner in polls ahead of the November 4 election to decide who will be the next mayor of America’s most populous city. In the staunchly Democratic megacity where inequality is rampant and life is unaffordable for many, Mamdani has zeroed in on the high cost of living promising regulated rents, free bus travel and daycare to cement his appeal.
